Tristan (Knight's Edge Series Book 1)

by Liz Gavin

  No wonder he got the jitters.

  Glancing about, he found out his band mates wore the same shade of green on their expressions. Given the fact their queasiness didn’t result from hangover, Tristan burst laughing. “We make for a sad bunch. Come on, cheer up! We’re fucking going to rock this place.”

  Aidan, Duke, and Noah whooped and slapped Tristan’s outstretched hand. They filed out of the dressing room and toward the end of the corridor leading to the stage. He now regretted agreeing with Izzie, and the other ladies, that they should come backstage only after the band had gone onstage. He need his wife to kill those damn butterflies knocking themselves around in his stomach.

  Fuck. Izzie calms me down. I don’t want to do this without her.

  As he stepped onto the stage, blinded by the spotlight, his ears got pierced by the roar of the fans. Blinking, he caught Noah’s stare as he perched on stool behind the drum set. They high-fived and Noah shouted over the fan’s shrieks, “We’ve made it, bro.”

  “We’re almost there, almost there.”

  Laughing out loud, Noah ruffled the drums as Tristan’s assistant handed him his guitar. A wide grin split his lips, and he hurled into the mic, “This is Knight’s Edge. Are you ready to rock?”

  Seventy thousand voices shouted Sim, the Portuguese word for yes. The band had chosen São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil, to kick off the first leg of their first stadium tour with twenty sold-out concerts in seven different cities in South America. Florianópolis would be the last one. The concerts had sold-out in hours, which convinced the sponsors to expand the tour. A second leg was going to take the band around the United States also with sold-out concerts in every city.

  Knowing they were going to perform to full houses every night had translated into more pressure for the band. They had rehearsed, and planned, and rehearsed, and strategized, and rehearsed some more. They were terrified they would blew their big chance. The four band mates had sat down and laid out rules for the performance, the idea being they wanted to avoid small incidents they had dealt with in the past. Small incidents in bars or arenas could potentially become huge disasters if they happened in stadiums.

  All went according to their plans, until halfway through the set. When Noah smashed the cymbals and Aidan joined him in one of Knight’s Edge first hits, the audience jumped up and down following Duke’s energetic performance. Tristan stalked to one end of the stage during his solo, the fans at the rails reaching out, some managed to touch his feet and legs. Although he loved the vibe he got from their audience, that was one example of a tricky situation that could go very wrong in an event as big as that. He glanced at Aidan, who was unfazed, but nowhere near the hands of the fans.

  Tristan retraced his steps to the middle of the stage just to be on the side of caution. Then his stomach dropped when Duke pulled a fan up on stage.

  Motherfucker never learns! What part of ‘don’t’ didn’t he get?

  Rule number one for their stadium concerts had been that Mr. Ricardo Alcântara, aka Duke, would not under any circumstances try to pull off his old theatrics. They might have worked in small arenas with tight security, but they were too risky for stadiums.

  While Duke slowed dance with the fan to the song Noah had wrote for his lady, the thousands of voices that filled the arena became one harmonic choir. The haunting beauty of the verses never failed to give Tristan goosebumps. Damn Baby Face knew how to melt hearts.

  He tipped his head to Noah, who saluted back with his stick, as Duke sang the last verses of the drummer’s song and led the fan back to the pit between the stage and the public. The security staff helped her to down, and Tristan let out a deep sigh. He would call an emergency meeting after the concert to put some sense into Duke’s block head.

  A couple of songs later, Tristan shouted into his mic, “Obrigado, São Paulo. Thank you, São Paulo. Goodnight.”

  They left the stage, but the lights remained dimmed. They had opted for a simple stage with straightforward lightening, and almost zero technology. Except for the giant screens streaming images captured by the cameras. The screens were a must in stadiums or most of the people in the audience wouldn’t see the band at all.

  Their team quickly set the stage for the encore, and Tristan got cold feet. “Duke, I can’t do this, man. They’ve been listening to you for almost two hours. Your voice sounds as great out there as it does in the albums.”

  “Thanks, but what does it have to do with anything?”

  “I suck,” Tristan explained.

  “You lost me,” Aidan told Tristan.

  “He doesn’t want to sing the next song. Wuss.” Noah glared at Tristan.

  “Agree,” Izzie’s voice sounded behind Tristan. For the first time, it didn’t lull him. “You wrote it for us, I recorded it with you. We’ve sung it live before. It makes no sense for Duke to sing it.”

  Tristan eyeballed the people standing in front of him and shrugged. “You’re right. Even if miss my cue or sing out of key, it won’t beat Duke’s fiasco in our first show.”

  “Oh, no. Nothing beats that,” Duke agreed, laughing.

  Izzie pecked his lips. “Let’s do this.”

  The crowd stomped the ground, demanding more songs. The band members got ready to return to the stage, Noah at the head of the procession, Aidan and Duke followed him. Tristan waited until the three were set, Duke received a guitar from Tristan’s assistant and the audience roared.

  Tristan still got dumbstruck when stuff like that happened. He confessed to Izzie, “That blows my mind. They know what’s coming next.”

  She smiled, and his world made sense again. “They know, silly, because they’re your fans.”

  She pushed him, and he got on the stage, standing under the sole spotlight directed to his mic.

  “This is You’re My Favorite Lullaby,” he muttered, and the fans hollered.

  That song had started as a poem he wrote for their wedding. Instead of traditional vows, they decided to read poetry. Later, his band mates nagged him until Tristan caved in and tweaked the poem a little. It went on to become one of their most enduring hits.

  Tristan sang the first verses facing the audience.

  You stole my life in a heartbeat

  You killed my love in a dirty suite

  The promises I made, you broke

  The love that I gave, you choked

  As Duke strummed the chords in a soulful solo, Izzie walked onstage. When the fans realized she was going to sing next, like the studio version of the song, the shrieking increased.

  Izzie held Tristan’s hand and they faced each other, as she sang.

  Ghost of love haunts my dream

  Shadows cast from within

  Until a blood orange evening sky

  Shows me you’re my favorite lullaby

  The couple sang the last verses together.

  I was numb, I was done

  You reached in, you opened up

  You let me in, you lift me up

  We proved our love was the one

  As Izzie walked out of the stage at the end of their song, waving at the fans, and blowing kisses his way, Tristan grinned. He spoke into the mic, “Ladies and gentlemen, that was Izzie Anderson. As some of you know, she’s been a Fairy Godmother of sorts to our little band. We owe her so much.” He clapped, the other band members joined with enthusiasm, and the audience howled. “Thank you, honey.” He spotted her standing backstage and Izzie bowed her head in response, but gestured for him to cut it out. “I’d better wrap up, the missus is getting mad. I hope she spanks me later tonight.” The stadium shook as the fans guffawed and Tristan snorted. “Seriously, though. Izzie makes me want to be a better person. I’m blessed she decided to give me a second chance at loving her.” He turned and held her stare, speaking into the mic. He wanted the world to hear it, but the only person that mattered was her. “I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life proving you made a good decision.”

  Before he knew it, Izzie’s leg
s were wrapped around his waist, and their mouths were locked in a passionate kiss. Cheers from the crowd, whoops from his band mates, all faded out. All he heard was the beating of her heart against his.

  That was his favorite lullaby.

  THE END

  I

  Sneak Peek 1

  Synopsis

  Party boy meets his match and sparks fly.

  Noah Cartwright owns a successful bistro in a southern Brazilian beach as he struggles to put together his rock band. He was burnt by betrayal years ago, but hasn't given up on finding Miss Right.

  Ana Oliveira hides dark secrets from her past as she attends tables and studies to get her teaching credentials. She knows Mr. Right is a fantasy. She stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago.

  They've got little in common, except for a sizzling hot chemistry, which could jeopardize their future plans. Yet they gravitate towards each other and the resulting collision changes both forever.

  Knight's Edge is a series of standalone romances without cliffhangers and with guaranteed Happily Ever Afters. If you love hot rockers and their sassy ladies, you must read this series.

  One-click this book today to get Noah’s story and learn how the Knight’s Edge began and made it to the top.

  Noah (Knight’s Edge Book #2)

  Sneak Peek

  Ana Oliveira woke up to a throbbing headache. Used to crippling migraines, she feared getting up abruptly would trigger the habitual nausea, so she took a deep breath and relaxed her tense muscles, opening her senses to her surroundings. A refreshing whiff of salty air filled the room and the distant rumbling sound of crashing waves against rocks soothed her. Those were familiar to her, after living by the ocean for the last four years. Her lips curved up as she smoothed the soft bed linen under her palms. As she stretched on the mattress that hugged her body, she reached up and tucked her hands under the pillow. Extra soft, probably stuffed with goose feathers.

  Her stomach dropped. She didn’t own silk sheets or a memory foam mattress and her old pillow would feel much harder under her head than the softness of a feathery nest she was currently experiencing. The subtle shuffling sound of another body moving against the silk sheets, dipping the mattress towards its center, stole the air from her lungs. Her heart forgot to beat for a couple of seconds. Afraid to open her eyes, but knowing she wouldn’t be able to avoid doing so for long, Ana crinkled her nose and squinted her eyes before allowing them to open. Just a little. When she recognized the room, her jaw dropped, making her mouth open into a perfect round shape. How the hell had she ended up in Noah Cartwright’s room? In his bed? With his boyish face buried between her thighs? Panic couldn’t begin to describe her feelings.

  “Finally! I’ve been waiting rather patiently for you to regain consciousness,” he offered her as if she had a clue as to what he meant. Apparently ignoring her confused state, Noah kept gliding his long fingers down her thighs, then lifted her knees before encircling her soft flesh and squeezing it.

  As if hypnotized, she lay there and watched. Blaming it on the marching band playing inside her skull, Ana didn’t resist his wandering hands. She chose not to acknowledge the effects his trademark smile, complete with perfect white teeth and endearing dimples, had over her. The surge of hot liquid flowing down her body had nothing to do with that grin. She hoped.

  She also said nothing to stop his scorching hot lips from tracing a wet trail from her elevated knees, down towards the top of her thighs. As if detached from her body, she observed his dirty-blonde head move dangerously close to her most private part. That was when she realized she was wearing her date lingerie. The silk black set of panties and bra she reserved for special occasions. What the hell did she do last night? She didn’t go out with Noah Cartwright, that was a given. Or was it?

  When she tried to focus, her head threatened to explode like an atomic bomb, so she decided to take it slow. Baby steps should be the norm today. She would get answers, if she asked him the questions colliding in her mind. She just needed to stop him and talk. The fact that her body seemed to hum under his fingers didn’t help that part of her plan, though. As tempting as his intentions were, she needed to stop him.

  Before she could utter a word, his sultry voice filled her ears. “I wouldn’t take advantage of you while you were sleeping, no matter how tight you held me to your chest. You’ve no idea how tempting you were, gorgeous. I behaved, though. Now it’s time for our delayed fun to begin.”

  The promise of pleasure in his voice and the intense heat in his sparkling eyes tempted Ana to allow herself a taste of what Noah offered her. As long as she kept it brief, she would be safe. That was her story and she intended to stick with it. She read somewhere that orgasms helped combat migraines. That was a treatment she would gladly adopt.

  As Noah’s tongue circled her belly button, she bunched the sheets in her fingers and hissed. She felt his smile against her soft skin, his stubbled chin tickling her senses, as his teeth grabbed the thin strap of her panties. When they sank into it and Noah pulled his head as if to tear the fragile elastic band, she shook her head. He stopped, but rubbed the tip of his nose against the tiny piece of cloth that covered her entrance. Just once. It was enough to make the fabric wet from her body’s reaction to his touch. She was in trouble.

  “We can’t do this, Noah. It isn’t right,” she moaned against the fist she stuffed in her mouth. Her teeth left deep marks on her skin. Maybe the pain would remind her why it was wrong. “You’re my boss, for crying out loud.”

  “That’s your best argument?” His soft chuckles got muffled by her round thighs as he ignored her words and kissed his way down one leg before turning to the other and tracing the inside of her thigh, dragging his wet lips towards her entrance. Ana’s belly fluttered with anticipation, but she needed to stop him and tell the truth before they went too far. He had the right to know.

  *This is just the beginning of Noah & Ana’s story.*

  Learn more Knight’s Edge Series of romance novels about hot rockers and their sassy ladies at lizgavin.com

  Elessar Books Llc

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  About the Author

  International bestselling author Liz Gavin’s books have made it to #1 in countries as diverse as Japan, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and her home country Brazil, collecting 4 and 5-star reviews. Nominated for a Summer Indie Book Award in 2016 and again in 2017, this RWA member constantly seeks new opportunities to improve her craft.

  In late 2015, her thirst for knowledge propelled Liz to leave the comforts of family and friends in Brazil and move to California to pursue a Master’s degree. She lives in sunny SoCal, where she’s researching the writing process for her thesis, in the hopes to figure out why she creates in English instead of her native Portuguese.

  Liz Gavin writes in contemporary, paranormal, and historical genres. In her sexy stories, one finds smart, independent women, who don’t need rescuing by knights in shining armor, but indulge in steamy action with swoony Alpha males with big hearts. She also writes about women discovering their sexuality and finding happiness in unconventional setups.

  Contact me

  lizgavin.com

  lizgavin@elessarbooks.com

  Also by Liz Gavin

  Find links and more information about all her books here - Liz Gavin’s Website

  Novels

  Luck of the Irish

  Upside Down

  Celtic Fire

  Knigh
t’s Edge Series

  Tristan – Book #1

  Noah - Book #2

  Aidan - Book #3

  Duke - Book #4

  Short Stories

  Club Desire Stories

  At Club Desire

  Between the Ghost and the Dom

  Her Favorite Ghost

  Take me to the Domme

  In the Lounge

  Halloween at Club Desire

  Her Discipline

  Standalones

  Powerless

  Indecent Proposal

  Flying High

  Craving Her

  Collections of Short Stories

  Girls love Girls

  Three’s a Charm

  Welcome to the Club

  Multi-author Boxed Sets with Exclusive Stories by Liz Gavin

  Legends & Lore

  Sin & Seduction

  Seduction in a Suit

  Soul Spark

  Coming in Hot 2: Rescue Me

  Portuguese Editions:

  Sem Força

  Halloween no Club Desire

  Desejo: Coletânea de Contos Eróticos

  De Ponta Cabeça: Episódio 1